The present invention concerns a mobile robot, in particular a mobile robot constituted by a telephone able to move autonomously.
Mobile robots able to move autonomously under the control of a processing unit reacting to signals supplied by one or several sensors are already known. For example, robots provided with one or several cameras, a radar, microphones etc. and able to move in a complex environment and fulfill a mission have already been realized.
Robots that are remote-controlled by means of a wireless radio system are also known. The remote control generally uses a proprietary interface developed specifically for this application; no other communication is expected on the radio channel reserved for the control of the robot. The robot thus does not verify the identity of the operator attempting to control it.
Mobile robots controlled through the internet have also appeared. In this case, standard authentication and security procedures, for example by means of passwords and firewalls, have to be used to prevent non-authorized persons from controlling the robot.
Mobile robots controlled by voice commands are also known and are used for example, although not exclusively, in the entertainment and toy industry. These robots are able to analyze vocal commands of a nearby operator and to obey these commands. Certain mobile robots also include a voice synthesis module allowing them to generate voice responses reproduced through a loudspeaker.
An aim of the present invention is to propose a new type of mobile robot and a new method for controlling a mobile robot.
In particular, an aim of the present invention is to propose a new type of mobile robot and a new method for controlling a mobile robot offering more flexibility for controlling the mobile robot.
According to the invention, these aims are achieved by means of a mobile robot comprising autonomous displacement means, a microphone, a loudspeaker, a mobile telecommunication module and a voice analysis module able to interpret voice commands received through said mobile telecommunication module for controlling the displacements of said mobile robot.
These aims are furthermore achieved by means of a remote control method comprising the following steps:
1. establishing a connection with the mobile robot through a commuted telephone network,
2. sending through said connection the voice commands for displacing the robot,
3. interpreting said voice commands in said mobile robot for controlling the displacements of said mobile robot.
Preferred embodiments are moreover described in the dependent claims and in the description given as example.
The claimed robot has the advantage of being voice-controlled either by a nearby human operator, through the integrated microphone, or by a distant operator, through a telecommunications network, for example through a public mobile telecommunications network (GSM or UMTS for example).
Furthermore, it allows a voice communication to be established through a mobile network between a human operator near the mobile robot and a distant operator connected to any point of the telecommunications network through conventional telephone equipment.
The invention furthermore makes it possible to realize a mobile telecommunications network comprising at least a mobile node constituted by a mobile robot, in which the position of the mobile nodes can be controlled by means of voice commands sent from any node of the network and analyzed in said mobile nodes.
In an variant embodiment of the invention, the mobile robot is also provided with at least one camera and visual reproduction means, for example a screen, as well as with a cellular phone of the third generation allowing the transmission of images and multimedia data. This embodiment extends the communication possibilities through image processing technologies.